Doug Ford has no plan to deliver on his health care promises, and Ontarians are paying the price

QUEEN’S PARK – Ontario NDP Shadow Minister for Mental Health and Addictions with responsibility for Primary Care, MPP Robin Lennox (Hamilton Centre) and NDP Shadow Minister for Health, France Gélinas (Nickel Belt) are responding to the Auditor General’s findings about access to primary care and questionable physician billing:

"Every person in Ontario deserves access to primary care. Today’s report shows that the Ford government is falling short. The government is making small, incremental changes when what is really needed is transformational work to improve access across the province,” said Lennox. “They promised that by 2029 everyone will have a family doctor or primary care provider, yet in the first year they have only helped six percent of people who need one.”

MPP Lennox says the Auditor General shows that the government has failed at the most basic task: understanding and planning for Ontarians’ access to primary care.

“This report also makes it clear that the government has no plan for how they will measure or improve access by 2026,” said Lennox. “There is no reliable forecast of where family doctors are needed and no system to track whether new training seats turn into practicing physicians. To actually fix this, Ontario needs to fully fund team-based care, build a provincewide recruitment and retention strategy, modernize the outdated HealthCare Connect program, and set performance measures that reflect what patients need. Families need a government that recognizes the critical role of primary care in each and every community in Ontario.”

“Too many Ontarians are paying for medically necessary care with their credit card instead of their OHIP card.” Said Gélinas. “The Ford government has intentionally stifled modernization meant to support physicians and strengthen oversight. Instead, they are leaving doctors struggling with outdated systems, and year-long backlogs. This government has chosen to neglect Ontario’s health-care system—failing both the physicians who provide care and the patients who rely on it.

“Under Ford’s watch, confusion about what’s insured hasn’t just grown; it’s been allowed to grow; with some patients having been charged upgrades without being told they have fully covered OHIP options. This isn’t a mistake; it’s a deliberate strategy to let the public system crumble so privatization can rush in to fill the gaps.”